Twenty-two years of federal investment in criminal justice research: The National Institute of Justice, 1968–1989

Abstract

In 1968 the United States Congress created the National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice (NILECJ) to encourage research and development in criminal justice. The mission of the agency was broadened in 1979, when it was reauthorized as the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). Using a model of the innovation process (Rogers, 1983), this study examined the history of the agency and evaluated the process by which it has attempted to influence innovation. Three periods were identified—the early technology years (1968–1974), the basic research years (1975–1982), and the policy-relevant years (1983–1989).